Psychosocial risks are the conditions present in a work situation directly related to the organization of work, the content of the job, the performance of the task or even the environment, which have the capacity to affect the development of work and the health of workers. Currently, psychosocial risks are one of the main causes of work-related illnesses and accidents.

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Psychosocial factors or risks are functions into which occupational risk prevention is traditionally divided (the other areas are biomechanical risk, safety and hygiene). Psychosocial risks originate from different aspects of work conditions and organization. When they occur, they have an impact on people's health through psychological and physiological mechanisms.

The causes that give rise to psychosocial risks are many and are mediated by the perceptions, experiences and personality of the worker. Some of them areː.

• Characteristics of the task (monotony, repetitiveness, excessive or little responsibility, lack of skill development, excessive work pace, etc.).

• Structure of the organization (lack of definition or conflict of competencies, scarce or distorted communication and information, few or conflictive personal relationships, authoritarian command style, etc.).

• Characteristics of the job (poor job design, functions or tasks of the position or position, lack of safety or hygiene, inadequate salary, etc.).

The effects of exposure to psychosocial risks are diverse and are modulated by personal characteristics. Some of the most documented effects are:

• Cardiovascular problems and diseases.

• Depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders.

• Back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders.

• Medical disorders of various types (respiratory, gastrointestinal, etc.).

• Social and health-related behaviors (smoking, drug use, sedentary lifestyle, lack of social participation, etc.).

• Absenteeism from work.

Risk assessment is a necessary step to identify, understand, prevent and/or correct possible problematic situations related to psychosocial risks.

This is normally a multifactorial evaluation, which takes into account aspects of the task, work organization, environment, performance, etc.

One of the main axes of psychosocial risk assessment is the participation of workers in the entire process.

Furthermore, it is essential that the evaluation is carried out with a methodology that offers adequate scientific guarantees of validity and reliability.